"People! There are people everywhere! What in the world is going on?!"
On the city wall, Orochi’s expression changed drastically as he grabbed the railing.
Everywhere his eyes could reach, countless figures were appearing.
He was utterly incredulous.
In his mind, Ashura Doji being able to gather eight hundred people was already impressive enough.
The figures converging from all directions had completely overturned Orochi’s expectations.
Everyone present was equally stunned by the sudden development.
Even Kyoshiro and Kozuki Hiyori were frozen in place.
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that Wano could still muster such a force.
Yet before they could recover, Ashura Doji came charging forward atop a gigantic bull.
The enormous beast leaped into the air before crashing down onto the open ground at the city gate.
Ashura Doji abruptly raised his head and glared at Orochi on the city wall before roaring,
"Shutenmaru of the Atamayama Bandits! Ashura Doji of the Nine Red Scabbards! With eight hundred samurai under my command, I have come to open Wano’s borders!"
Every word was like rolling thunder, exploding across the open ground.
The eight hundred samurai planted their feet in unison and responded with a thunderous roar.
"We have come!"
The declaration reverberated throughout the city, snapping everyone out of their daze.
But this was clearly only the beginning.
Figures continued pouring in from every direction.
And the people leading them caused everyone’s expressions to change dramatically.
"ROAR!"
A deafening roar suddenly rang out.
Hundreds of members of the Mink Tribe descended from the sky with overwhelming momentum.
In the lead, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi landed firmly and shouted in unison.
"Day King of the Mink Tribe, Ashura Doji’s fellow Red Scabbard, Inuarashi! Leading five hundred Minks to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders! We have come!"
"Night King of the Mink Tribe, Ashura Doji’s fellow Red Scabbard, Nekomamushi! Leading five hundred Minks to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders! We have come!"
More than a thousand massive figures gathered together like iron towers.
Everyone present was shaken to the core.
They had certainly held some expectations for Ashura Doji’s battle to open Wano’s borders today.
But no one had imagined that two additional members of the Nine Red Scabbards would appear.
And they had brought more than a thousand members of the Mink Tribe with them.
Yet as everyone stared at the gathering forces, they became even more eager to know who else was still coming from all directions.
What was happening before their eyes had repeatedly exceeded their expectations.
Even Kozuki Hiyori and Kyoshiro were stunned.
Then they saw the next figure approaching.
It was short in stature.
Both of them couldn’t help freezing.
As far as they remembered, there was no such person in Wano’s history.
Yet the people following behind him were so respectful that their curiosity about his identity only intensified.
"Wano Country, Hyogoro of the Flower, leading one thousand prisoners from Udon to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders!"
"Wano Country, Blood-Letter Tsunagoroof Ringo, leading five hundred members of his family to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders!"
"Wano Country, Badasu Tsunagorō of Hakumai, leading five hundred members of his family to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders!"
"Wano Country, Yūgao Adachō of Ringo, leading five hundred members of her family to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders!"
"Wano Country, Hebimoku Yatabei of Kibi, leading five hundred members of his family to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders!"
A sea of samurai surged into the gathering like a hurricane.
As those familiar names were announced one after another, everyone’s hearts trembled.
Especially when they heard Hyogoro’s true name, they were completely shaken.
This was none other than Hyogoro the Flower, the legendary swordsman revered as the godfather of Wano’s underworld!
His prestige was so great that he had once dominated Wano’s entire underworld.
And because he valued loyalty and honor, he was also deeply respected by many ordinary people.
The underworld legend who had supposedly died more than twenty years ago had not only returned from the dead, but had brought more than a thousand prisoners from Udon to participate in the struggle to open Wano’s borders.
He had even brought the four great underworld bosses with him personally.
The already fragile uprising led by Ashura Doji had suddenly expanded to an unprecedented scale.
The force that had initially consisted of only eight hundred samurai had now swelled to five thousand.
For the first time, many people saw a glimmer of hope.
"And me!"
Another figure stepped forward.
"I, Kawamatsu of the Nine Red Scabbards, lead five hundred conscripted samurai to fight for the opening of Wano’s borders!"
Kawamatsu had arrived as well.
Compared with the grand entrances of the others, his appearance certainly seemed somewhat modest.
But the arrival of yet another member of the Nine Red Scabbards was enough to completely ignite the tiny spark of hope that had just appeared in everyone’s hearts.
For more than twenty years, there had been no shortage of people resisting the Beasts Pirates and Orochi.
Aside from the battle ten years ago, when three daimyō joined forces and managed to create some ripples, all the other attempts had disappeared without leaving so much as an echo.
But now, four members of the Nine Red Scabbards had joined forces.
They had also brought a group of Wano’s underworld bosses.
Four to five thousand samurai had gathered in a massive formation.
At this moment, this was perhaps the closest Wano had ever come to opening its borders.
The impoverished samurai and civilians gathered around the city gate could barely contain their excitement.
Meanwhile, Orochi stood atop the city wall.
He had originally intended to watch a spectacle.
Now, however, his expression had become horribly twisted.
Especially when he saw Hyogoro, he roared furiously,
"Bastards! This is ridiculous! What Nine Red Scabbards?! What underworld bosses?!"
"How did Udon get breached?! What the hell is going on?! Why didn’t I know about any of this?!"
"But so what if you bunch of pathetic losers have managed to gather this tiny army?"
"Don’t forget—the shogun of Wano is still me!"
"I’m telling you, I have twelve thousand samurai under my command, and the Beasts Pirates behind me!"
"Even if you manage to escape today, once Kaido returns, you’ll all be dead!"
"Tell me! Who else do you have?!"
"Who else do you have that gives you the nerve to run wild here?!"
His crazed roar echoed throughout the sky.
The burning fighting spirit that had surged through everyone’s veins was instantly extinguished when they heard the words Kaido of the Beasts.
The Nine Red Scabbards were indeed powerful.
There were now four to five thousand samurai gathered here.
They even had the support of Wano’s underworld bosses.
But they were facing Kaido of the Beasts—the man even Kozuki Oden had been unable to defeat.
And behind Kaido stood the enormous Beasts Pirates.
Even if they somehow managed to achieve a narrow victory today, could they withstand Kaido when he returned?
If they still couldn’t withstand him, then they would once again face a completely one-sided battle.
In the end, even if they managed to overthrow Orochi, the most they could accomplish would be to replace him with another shogun under Kaido’s control.
The excitement that had filled the gathering immediately became oppressive once again.
Kozuki Hiyori and Kyoshiro’s expressions stiffened.
At this moment, they finally understood what Lucas had said.
What Wano lacked was a truly overwhelming powerhouse.
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